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Angband
Angband, also known by its translation 'Iron Prison', was the ancient fortress of Melkor under the Iron Mountains before the First Age, and from which he tried to subjugate Arda. It was destroyed at the conclusion of the War of Wrath. The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Thangorodrim" Description Angband was a primarily subterranean stronghold under the three volcanic mountains of Thangorodrim, the largest mountains in Middle-earth. Before the Great Gate, there was a somber court area flanked by frightening cliffs and walled by the towers of a great battlement. Through the gate, there was a long great tunnel leading to a 'labyrinthine pyramid' of stairs to corridors, tunnels, and smithy chambers. A tall chimney went from Morgoth's gigantic blast furnaces and smithies, up through the mountain to the smokey towers of Thangorodrim. There were also many tunnels leading to the slave quarters or vaults. At the foundation of Angband was the entrance to Morgoth's throne room in the Nethermost Hall.The Atlas of Middle-earth, The First Age, The Elder Days, "Thangorodrim" There were also mines within Angband that extended deeper than Morgoth's throne room.The Silmarillion History Melkor originally built Angband to guard against a possible attack from Aman by the Valar, and placed it under the command of Sauron. However, at the initiation of the War of Powers, the assault of the Valar leveled Angband without much difficulty, and forced Melkor to flee to his primary stronghold of Utumno. However, Angband's underground vaults and caverns were left relatively intact after the Valar's onslaught, as they were in great haste to capture Melkor for the sake of keeping the newly-awakened Elves safe. After Melkor's defeat at Utumno, the Balrogs came to Angband and went into hibernation in its ruined foundations. Eventually, the Orcs began to multiply in great numbers in Angband's ruins, and soon made their way south into Beleriand, threatening the Dwarves and Thingol's kingdom. It is possible that Sauron remained in the ruins of Angband with the Balrogs, as he had presumably been commanding the fortress when it was attacked. However, it is not certain where Sauron dwelt during Melkor's imprisonment. After three ages, Melkor was released, destroyed the Two Trees of Valinor, stole the Silmarils and escaped from Aman. After fleeing, Melkor, now named Morgoth by his enemies, returned to Middle-earth and re-delved the ruins of Angband, raising the volcanic peaks of Thangorodrim over it. These peaks were created from the slag and rubble caused by the re-delving of the fortress, and as such, it is likely that the rebuilt Angband extended for a considerably greater distance underground than its original incarnation. From his dark throne in the Nethermost Hall, Morgoth directed the war against the Ñoldor who had returned from the West, and all the Free Peoples that supported them in Beleriand. Ultimately, he achieved complete victory over them. At the end of the First Age, the Valar took pity on the Ñoldor and instigated the War of Wrath, which not only utterly destroyed Angband but broke most of northern Middle-earth so throughly that it sank beneath the ocean.The Silmarillion Earlier versions of the legendarium In earlier versions of Tolkien's mythology (see The History of Middle-earth) Angband was called Angamando, which is the Quenya form of the name. Etymology Angband is a Sindarin word that meant 'iron prison'.The Complete Guide to Middle-earth See also *Siege of Angband Translations References Category:Sindarin words Category:Caves Category:Fortresses Category:Far North Category:Sauron's Fortress & Strongholds ca:Àngband de:Angband es:Angband fr:Angband it:Angband nl:Angband pl:Angband pt-br:Angband ru:Ангбанд